Country Gees

Be sure to walk along the ancient Roman bridge Puente Romano, which was built across the Tormes River under the Roman emperor Trajan and was part of the great Silver Road that connected the northern and southern parts Spain. The bridge was rebuilt in the 17th century after a flood. It has a length of 170 m, a width of 3.7 m and has 14 arches (the original building consisted of 26 arches).

On the other side of the Plaza Mayor in the northern part of the Old Town, it is worth visiting the 16th century Convento de las Ursulas monastery, where the sarcophagi of the archbishops, which are works of religious art, have been preserved; the 16th century Casa de las Muertes (literally “House of the Dead”), which got its name from the stone skulls that adorn the facade; and the round church of San Marcos from the 12th century, with a collection of Gothic frescoes.

According to ALLCITYCODES, all the sights of the Old Town of Salamanca can be seen not only on foot, but also by going to journey on a special tourist tram with a guide.

In the vicinity of Salamanca, the city of Alba de Tormes is interesting . There is a 16th century monastery founded by Saint Teresa of Avila. In the monastery she spent the last years of her life and died. The Sierra de Bejar and Sierra de Franciamountain ranges stretch along the southern border of the province of Salamanca.(Sierra de Francia). In 2006, both mountain ranges were united by UNESCO into an extensive biosphere reserve. The reserve is designed to protect dense forests with unique species of trees (strawberry tree), where rare animals and birds live, including the Spanish lynx, black stork and brown vulture. The main city of the Sierra de Bejar is Bejar (Bejar). In the city itself, it is worth seeing the Renaissance palaces of El Bosque and Ducal of the 16th century, the remains of the city walls of the 11th century, the Gothic church of Iglesia de San Gil, which now houses the Mateo Hernandez Museum, representing the sculptures of this famous Spanish master, and also paintings of the 16th-19th centuries, works of oriental art and a collection of ceramics. Be sure to take a walk in the city park of La Antigua with panoramic views of the Sierra de Bejar mountains. It is believed that the park was laid out here in the 11th century. Not far from the town of Bejar, at an altitude of 1990 m, there is a small ski resort La Covatilla .

The tourist center of another mountain range – the Sierra de Francia – is the village of La Alberca (La Alberca), where the spirit of antiquity is everywhere. From here you can go to Mount Francia (1723 m), on top of which there is an observation deck and a Dominican monastery of the 15th century, as well as to the village of Miranda del Castanar, where medieval buildings have been preserved and in the vicinity of which one of the most the oldest and most extensive strawberry forests in the world.

On the western slopes of the Sierra de Francia, just 30 km from the border with Portugal, is the city of Ciudad Rodrigo. It is bordered by a medieval wall 2 km long. The wall was built in the 12th century under King Ferdinand II. In the 19th century during the war of Spain with the troops of Napoleon, Ciudad Rodrigo, with its impregnable defensive ring of walls, more than once became the site of hostilities. There are many attractions inside the city walls: the castle of Henry II of the 14th century; Cathedral, the construction of which lasted from 1165 to 1550; the building of the City Hall of the 16th century on the main city square Plaza Mayor; the 12th century Iglesia de San Isidro churches with Mudéjar and San Agustín elements (16th century); the palaces of the Palacio de los Castro (16th century) with a plateresque facade and the Palacio de los Aguila (16th-17th centuries).

In contrast to the southern mountainous part of the province of Salamanca, the remainder is flat. In the northwest of the province, on the borders with the province of Zamora and Portugal, extends Reserve Los Arribes del Duero nature reserve. It stretches along the banks of the Duero River, along which the border between Spain and Portugal runs.. For many centuries, the Duero River cut through the local rocks the deepest river canyon in the entire Iberian Peninsula, about 100 km long and up to 500 m deep. In addition to its picturesque landscape (a winding riverbed flowing between the sheer walls of the canyons, and waterfalls), the reserve is famous for its nature. The climate here is mild, so among the oak forests along the banks of the river you can see vineyards, olive, almond, orange and lemon trees. The reserve is a habitat for about 200 species of birds, 47 species of mammals and 21 species of reptiles. Here you can meet such rare birds as black stork, golden eagle, peregrine falcon, hawk, vulture and eagle owl. Hiking trails are laid along the river and observation platforms are equipped. In addition, very popular water excursions in the park. From the town of Playa del Rostro (Playa del Rostro) start 1, 5 hour boat trips (you can also sunbathe and swim here), and from the village of Vilvestre (Vilvestre) – excursions on catamarans. Guided tours can be booked at the park’s tourist office, which is located near the Saucelle dam, or at Salamanca.